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A student has been sacked from a student publication for transphobia after saying that ‘women don’t have penises’.

Angelos Sofocleous was assistant editor of Durham University’s philosophy journal Critique for just three days when he lost his job for tweeting the opinion that some found offensive.

He shared a Spectator piece on his personal Twitter account urging people who agreed to retweet the article.

Angelos Sofocleous was sacked from his post as assistant editor of Durham University’s philosophy journal ‘Critique’ after just three days for writing a tweet deemed ‘transphobic’ (Picture: Solent News & Photo Agency)

His tweet led to his dismissal from the publication and he was ‘forced’ to resign as president-elect of Humanist Students.

In another blow, the postgraduate Philosophy and Psychology student was also dropped from his position as general editor of Durham University’s online magazine, ‘The Bubble’.

In the now deleted-tweet, Mr Sofocleous shared an article titled ‘Is it a crime to say women don’t have penises?’

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Collecting hundreds of comments, the tweet has since sparked a row around Humanism, trans rights and freedom of speech.

Sofocleous’ post received backlash from former chair of LGBT Humanists Christopher Ward, among others, who claimed the post was ‘factually incorrect’ and not ‘worthy of a debate’.

Angelos Sofocleous is a postgraduate Philosophy and Psychology student at Durham University (Picture: Getty)

He wrote: ‘As former chair of LGBT Humanists UK, the opposition I experienced from a number of longstanding Humanists members to trans people and trans issues was a stain on an otherwise great organisation.

‘And here’s the new President of Humanist Students RTing horrific transphobic shit.’

But Mr Sofocleous has stood by his tweets and taken a swipe at his critics who he said ‘cannot tolerate any criticism’ and ‘are unable to engage in a civilised conversation on issues they disagree on’.

He also alleged that no effort had been made ‘beyond name-calling’ and ‘derogatory comments’ to try to dissuade him of his position.

Mr Sofocleous added: ‘These are individuals who think they hold the absolute right to determine which ideas can be discussed and what language can be used in a public forum.’

In August, Mr Sofocleous was sent an email from Ryan Lo, president of the university’s Philosophy Society, saying the group had taken a vote to relieve him of his position, deciding his tweets served to ‘belittle trans experiences’.

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Writing on the Critique journal’s Facebook page, Mr Lo said the society has a duty to act in the ‘best interests of all of its members’ and is therefore ‘committed to equality and diversity’.

He said: ‘When our executive team and group members vote on elections and group decisions, we encourage that they consider Durham SU’s commitment to inclusivity, equality of opportunity for all, and the promotion of diversity.

‘This includes all gender identities, but would emphasise that how each individual votes is a matter of personal judgment and interpretation.

‘This is fundamental to the democratic spirit of our group and is why we have policies in place so these decisions can be voted on, not made arbitrarily.’

The new editor-in-chief of Critique, Sebastián Sánchez-Schilling, tweeted saying he was ‘happy to announce’ the publication would not be ‘tolerating trans-exclusionary radical feminists or bowing to their pressure’.

The twitter row has sparked a fierce debate over free speech, with journalist Toby Young replying to Mr Sánchez-Schilling to ask him if he should be encouraging debate about ‘important issues’ instead of ‘stifling it’.